Stefan van Heerden, CFO of Microsoft South Africa, once dreamed of Olympic glory. The discipline and drive he developed on the track and the field have helped propel him to the C-suite – and his race has just begun.
Stefan van Heerden, Microsoft South Africa CFO, aspired to be a track and field Olympian at university. “However, my coach was very wise,” he shares. “He always said I must set myself up outside of sport; it takes one injury to end a career. That helped me stay balanced with my studies – and ultimately supported me in my career success.”
For Stefan, athletic discipline has helped him understand the importance of putting in extra effort and always striving for improvement. This drive has carried him through his career, from completing his BAcc (Hons) at the University of the Free State, to his most recent appointment as CFO at Microsoft South Africa.
The past decade – which he has spent at Microsoft – marks a milestone. It has also prepared him for this new position, he says, as his previous roles have encompassed all the components of the business.
“The opportunities I’ve had within Microsoft have been enormous,” emphasises Stefan. “Ten years ago, I started as the controls and compliance finance manager for Africa, where I was responsible for internal policy compliance across sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa. I got to travel to places like Nigeria and Kenya for the first time; I experienced different cultures and ways of doing business.”
Stefan adds that compliance is a critical part of working in a multinational, and his time at Microsoft has given him a good foundation for understanding risk. Transitioning to the partner space helped him understand the whole value chain, while moving into a commercial role enabled him to help customers embark on the cloud journey – which, he adds, often comes with “concerns” for them.
“Moving from an on-prem to cloud model changes your IT spend from a capex model to an opex model, which has an impact on key financial metrics like EBITD,” he says. “That change of mindset and thought leadership you need to apply gives wider opportunities to engage with customers, which is very exciting.”
“In the ‘cloud’ world, data is interconnected; we’re creating data at a phenomenal speed and sharing it within our organisations as well as with suppliers and customers,” says Stefan. “As a CFO, I must ensure my organisation’s data is secure, as your data contains the intellectual property, which gives you a competitive edge. “There’s a secondary benefit to driving a robust data security strategy because you can drive significant cost savings.”
Cyberattacks from within
With great power comes great responsibility, and he notes that many companies tend to focus on external threats, while most cyberattacks and data breaches happen from within.
“The real threat sits in your office: employees sharing data using USB flash drives or working from coffee shops and sharing documents over open WiFi networks – that’s where you’re at your weakest,” he adds. “It’s so important to also look at the identity management, multi-factor authentication and data classification, so you can protect sensitive documents CFOs are privy to. You’ll never have 100 percent comfort that all the loopholes have been closed, but 99.9 percent is better than 60 percent.”
According to Stefan, Microsoft has spent “a lot of time” cleaning its data and moving it into the cloud to use the advanced capabilities of machine learning and AI. “As CFOs, we have access to a ton of data. Data is currency, but you can only make good decisions if your data is of high quality.”
Now, says Stefan, he has many conversations – CFO to CFO, finance professional to finance professional – to help people envision and shape what that future could look like, and how technology can take care of a large part of the transactional grunt work. He adds that finance in Microsoft has really pivoted to focus on the strategic work, to help influence the business’s decision-making to drive it in the right direction.
Yet, he reflects that, 10 years prior, he never thought he’d be responsible for the largest Microsoft subsidiary in the CEMA region (Central Europe Middle East and Africa) – the cluster that South Africa falls under.
Unprecedented times
Stefan is really excited about the future, particularly to see how the world will continue changing with AI. “I’m excited to see the new industries emerge and how we’ll solve problems much faster. We’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible. It’s an unprecedented time we’re in, and we can even change the trajectory of our country.”
He expands on this: in South Africa, many people do not have access to formal education; this doesn’t mean these individuals don’t have the skills to be developed or the curiosity to develop them. He believes that AI can open new opportunities for unemployed youth. For example, with AI skilling initiatives, like Microsoft’s Copilot, an AI/Large Language Model ‘buddy’ goes on the learning journey with you, to help you upskill.
“AI will unlock a new workforce, who will help companies transform their business. I see it as a great opportunity to right the wrongs of the past. People without formal education can enter industries that don’t exist yet. I see it as a great signal for the future, not only for South Africa, but for Africa as a whole. I also believe there’s a great responsibility on all corporates to drive this.”
Stefan is married with an almost two-year-old son. He says there wasn’t much time to adjust to his new CFO role, so he and his wife, who has a senior role in an advertising agency, “took it on the fly”. He emphasises that family is important to him and it’s non-negotiable.
“I walk out of the office at 5pm and will reconnect after 8pm. My wife’s job is also demanding, so we need clear communication and prioritisation as we align schedules. We’re still adjusting but it’s about being flexible and working together to support each other in our careers and family life so that we succeed in both. I’m lucky in that my wife and I have very open communication and we both respect each other’s careers; we do our best to make it work.”
Motivated to do better
Sport fell by the wayside when Stefan started his working life, but he has always remained active. About eight years ago, while travelling back from a conference, he bumped into a former South African 400m hurdles Olympian, LJ van Zyl, at the Dubai airport.
“We knew each other from school,” says Stefan. “He told me about the masters track and field circuit; I had eight hours on the plane to think about it, did some research, and found a training group not far from my home and office.” Stefan joined the group and got back into the 100m and long jump. He relived his youth and built amazing friendships – he even participated in the South African Masters National Championships in May last year.
With the baby, it became more challenging to find the time for track and field, so last year, Stefan decided to prioritise spending time with his son, Nicolas. But when the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics rolled around, the evenings in front of the SuperSport stream were sacred. Watching the athletes compete made him realise that as much as the world has changed, something that’s remained constant is that we’ll always be surrounded by people, who motivate us to do better, like the crowds cheering and waving flags in the Stade de France.
Stefan believes there’s so much that sport can teach all of us, especially that we’re only as good as our teammates. He adds that finance professionals can be critical by nature, but building the strengths of each other and our co-workers, rather than only looking at the weaknesses, helps everyone be successful.
“We often lose focus in the here and now because we’re so focused on the end goal,” he muses. “But no matter where you are, you’re still part of the race, and there are people cheering for you. You’re doing great; some people aren’t doing as well as you, some are doing better – but you’re not at the end of the race.”
